Prelude to an Enmity
by LaMontagnarde
Summary: How do Near and Mello go from friendly to deadly within one year? Two children, nearly 400 IQ points, and a make or break case. Anything can happen. Rating for some drinking and swearing, and intense themes to come.
1. Sometime Friends

DISCLAIMER/INTRO:

To be safe, do not read unless you familiar with the entire storyline of Death Note, so as to avoid spoilers. So this is about Near and Mello in the Wammy House. For my purposes, Near is female, not for sexual reasons but because I dislike how DN is so sexist, so I like the idea of Kira's final enemy being female. So Near is a girl in this. Deal.

_**Chapter One - Sometime Friends**_

"You'll be working on this next project in pairs. You have five minutes to pair up, or I will pick your partners for you." Professor L was strict, and intense, despite his laid-back style of speech and dress. All of the children immediately started buzzing. One girl in the front row jumped up quickly and turned her head sharply towards the back of the room, silently fixing her eyes on a particular choice of partner. The blond boy at the back of the room slowly looked up, and seemed to assent, despite another boy's attempt on his attention. Other children paired up with varying degrees of excitement. Mello did end up with the albino girl in the front of the room, walking up to sit by her.

"Ok, Near, I'll work with you."

"Good!" Near and Mello both smiled in unbridled anticipation for the assignment.

The entire time that this was going on, Professor L watched closely. He marveled at the girl's ability to tell who her best peers were – she went right for the best kid in the class, second perhaps only to her. L wondered whether she would have that confidence as she grew older – the confidence to be drawn to those who were most qualified, and act on that impulse. It was an interesting phenomenon to see students that young and innocent yet that intelligent.

Before the assignment could be given out, Professor L was called to the door. Roger appeared in the hallway, and said "Professor – it's time for the appointment. I will take over the class for the time being. Good luck, sir." The children groaned in disappointment, their young sensibilities not refined enough to hide it. Roger was a good teacher, but Professor L was the best, and the smartest!

"Where did Professor L go?" called a 13-year-old boy, the one who had tried to claim Mello's attention earlier. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence, and the class fully expected a perfunctory answer like "He has a meeting," or something of that nature. Unsatisfactory, of course, but something. Instead, Roger took a deep, shaky breath, and said,

"He'll be back soon."

He looked like he was about to cry out of nervousness or frustration. He handed out the assignment, which was an analysis of a difficult-to-solve case of the 1800s. While the groups started working, Roger sat heavily in the chair by L's desk. The 11-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy working together in the front of the room didn't start the assignment, though, despite being the most skilled pair in the room.

"Mello! Did you see that? I'll bet this has something to do with that Kira case in Japan that people are talking about. That's why Roger's so nervous. Kira seems so scary."

"Could be, Near. Kira is a scary idea. I hope that Professor L can handle it, though. If he can't, no one can!" This last statement was said fervently, and belied a strong belief that the children all shared. Professor L was the best in the world, and if he couldn't do something, it should be considered impossible. Mello and Near were both chilled by the very thought that Kira could be too slippery for their teacher, and decided to start work. They quickly outlined the methods of the police available at the time of the case, and then they tried to find out new ideas. It was quite difficult, and for typical preteens, it would have been prohibitively so. For your above-average pre-teens, it would have been a stretch. For these kids, it was an appropriate challenge.

After twenty minutes, Professor L re-entered the room, saying to Roger,

"It was quite interesting. You can watch how it happened on the television in the screening room, or your computer, it's already up. We are up against a formidable opponent." Roger was flabbergasted.

"You're…"

"Roger, he's not _that _formidable. I'll take over from here for today. My future plans are written up and have been left for you. Please act accordingly, and thank you for your help."

Roger got up and left, with a sigh of relief and a half-chuckle.

Professor L looked at the class, and said, "That was a particularly interesting meeting. If we get through everything we need to get through today, you may get a chance to see what happened, as it was taped. You can all learn from it – both things to do, and things not to do, in an investigation."

The class was on edge with a bubbling thrill – getting to see an investigation! That was something that only the older kids ever got to do – if anyone! They quickly wrapped up their work, whether near completion or not. Mello and Near did a rushed, but complete, job, and handed in their work, waiting irrepressibly for the news. At the end of the class period, L ducked into the hallway for a short moment, bringing back a television on a wheeled cart. He turned on the video without a word, swiftly clicking PLAY. The class had a collective eye-widening experience. Professor L retreated to his chair, sitting on his feet. He watched along with them, studying his own moves, analyzing them as if they were an academic exercise, something to break down.

_I am Lind L. Tailor, also known as L. _

The students gasped at the lie. L was in the room with them! This older man (without any L-like mannerisms) was not their L! After a few moments, during which this "L" spoke out against Kira, the L imposter collapsed over the desk, clutching his chest. This time, the class cried out almost in unison – most kids screamed or yelped, some burst into tears, but two students, Near and Mello, merely widened their eyes. They were in shock, but maintained composure, and an intense academic and investigative interest. Near, out of sheer nervous energy, started vigorously twirling a lock of bleach-white hair with one hand and tapping out a fast pattern on her desk with the other.

"Well, children, that is all the time we have today. I would tell you what I think of this in an academic sense, but it is still too recent for my commentary to be any good to anyone. I will see you in two days, have a good Wednesday."

(A/N: R&R, of course… if there is anything at all that you didn't like, be sure to say – the quality of fanfiction won't raise itself, you know!)


	2. Puzzle Work

Puzzle Work

_Click. _God, how Near loved that sound. _Click. _It was a new puzzle, a big one. _Click. _Near was slowly forgetting the craziness of the day, and restructuring her brain, putting it back together one piece at a time. Her only sensory input was the look of the puzzle and the soft _clicks. _

_Clunk. _Clunk? Near swiveled to face the door, and had to quash a rising tide of anger at being disturbed.

"Who's there?" she answered diplomatically.

"It's me, Near. Can I come in and help with the new puzzle?"

"Sure, sure." Near had learned to let go of the anger that arose in her when being bothered, and having her puzzles built by others' hands. Well, Mello's anyway. Most other people never asked to help with her puzzles, and if they had, Near would have been close to paralyzed with irritation. Having someone _else _place a puzzle piece would be an inexcusable violation of privacy. Not Mello though, it was natural enough to have him help her. Mello wasn't too bad to work with, he typically didn't interfere too much with the puzzle solving experience. He was a light distraction. He usually stayed in the room to talk more than piece the puzzle together, and did most of the excited talking while Near paid some attention.

It was something she had learned to live with, since she was friends with him, and friends enjoy each others' company, at least a little, don't they? No matter what that company disturbs?

"So, Near, I was talking with Matt about that thing we saw today. I can't believe that L showed us the most recent development in the Kira case. Why do you think he did that? I mean, couldn't it be dangerous? We all know him, so we could be the most dangerous to him. We know where he is, what his basic schedule is, stuff that criminals find out about victims."

"We're not really too dangerous though. He knows about us, too. He knows more precisely what we know about him than what some stranger might know about him. We could have probably killed him before now if any of us were Kira, since we do live here with him. And if we couldn't kill him with Kira's power, then doing this wouldn't change that. He chose to show us the video to help us to learn, so we can join him in his fight against Kira."

"Join him? Well, I don't think he really works with people. He does most of his work in his own head. I think you should understand that."

"Really. What do you mean by that, Mello?" The satisfying _clicks _stopped, and Near turned to face down her friend. She had spent much of her life trying to deny the loner, self-interested instinct in herself. The fact that it had enough of an influence to be noticeable was mortifying. She "should understand" about working alone? Why?

"I'm just saying some people don't need help. He's one. People who don't need help shouldn't try and use it just because people usually use help. I mean, some help from anyone is useful, but it doesn't have to be an equal partnership. Any one of us in this class would want to be equal to L. He doesn't have time for us. Not yet."

"That's fair." Near's anger had abated. Mello understood her, and his knowledge of personalities was interesting. It was better than Near's. She should work on that.

"So I'm saying, we should try and learn all that we can about this case. Whoever of us has the best understanding of this case will be the next L. That's fairly obvious. This is the case of a lifetime – it will test us all."

"Interesting theory, Mello." _Click. _Near was back to her state of only half-listening. "But what if he isn't trying to pick a successor just yet?"

"Well then what is the class for, Near?"

"Maybe it's just a test of our knowledge to see who should go into law enforcement at all. We do know that not everyone here does. We're supposed to help on this case, and based on our work on this case, we can become part of L's team."

With a great deal of arm-waving, Mello speculated,

"Say what you will, I've thought it through, this will determine the future L, I'm sure of it. It won't determine about working with L, it will determine the next person to take up a mantle as an rival or successor to L. After this case, all of our fates will be decided. Matt thinks so too."

_Click. _Near wasn't satisfied with waiting, wasn't satisfied with talk of the future anymore. Even at age 12, she felt ready to work, ready to at least get hands-on training instead of theory. She worked even harder on the puzzle, almost trying to drown out Mello's hypothesis. If she couldn't work on the Kira case, she knew that there would never be a chance like this again. She stared at the ceiling for a while, but then…

_Click. _Near glanced at Mello's correctly placed puzzle piece and smiled. It was good to have a friend in this shark tank of a place, even if he was more okay with L's plan than she was. Mello was a good friend. If only he didn't talk with Matt so much…

Matt, there was the issue. He had a brilliant mind, but didn't use it. Not enough, in Near's opinion. It's not that he did badly in classes, he just wasn't a strong personality. He wasn't impressive. He wasn't a leader, despite that he easily could be. And Near had no patience with that. You don't have to be outgoing to command respect – she was quiet and still was seen as a leader, due to her personal power. She wasn't sure why Mello had any patience with Matt, and his willful lack of leadership. Of course, Near had never told Mello this – it wasn't her style. Mello was a good friend, there was no need to be perfectly open with him to the point where they might clash. So Near let "Matt" remain this silent buzzword, something that irritated her, but not enough to let it show.

With so many things going on at once, Near knew that she would have to do a lot of puzzle work before her mind was clear enough to sleep. God, L, let us work with you. How else can we truly become great?


	3. A Bitter Parting

A Bitter Parting

"Thank you again, Roger, your help has been invaluable."

"I only hope that you return soon, L."

"I hope that as well. I'm sure things will be under good care while I'm gone. I've never felt more secure in leaving, more certain that the place will run smoothly."

"Well, the kids love you. This place does need you, never get any other idea."

"I wasn't trying to imply anything of that sort – I just know that I can devote myself fully to the Kira case without worrying that something is being neglected."

"Fair enough, sir. And thank you for your confidence."

L frowned slightly at the formality, and then walked to the door.

_My last class with the younger group – the group with such potential. It will be unfortunate to miss any amount of time with them. I will miss much of their progress towards becoming great investigators. I hope that I can be back in time to finish their training._ L thought sadly about having to leave, but knew that it wasn't possible to execute this case from afar – he had to be at the scene of the crime, as it were. The kids would understand.

L walked into the room slightly late due to his talk with Roger. The kids were in their seats, some talking excitedly and some waiting, bored, for their teacher. This class, which they only had twice a week, was considered by some (including Near and Mello) to be the most critical of their classes. By others, it was considered useless, a pale addition to more substantive courses. L knew this, and he knew that investigatory work was only one part of the orphanage's mission. However, quite a few kids in the place had shown real promise, and it was too bad that he would have to give up time at the House.

After a 90-minute lecture on police brutality standards in the Western world, L looked at the clock, and realized that the class was over. He glanced at the door, and saw Roger staring him down through the small window. _Damn, I won't be able to get out of this… I thought I could just sneak away. It looks like he won't let me off the hook. _L turned to face a classfull of kids who were busily packing away their books in anticipation of their dismissal.

"Class, I have an announcement."

The seriousness in his voice quieted the room rapidly. "I will be leaving for Japan tonight, to start working full-time on the Kira investigation. This is the investigation that you saw a little bit of last week in class, and which we discussed at our previous meeting. I cannot be certain of a return date, and for the remainder of this school year, your investigation class will be taught by Roger, er, Mr. Ruvie. I will try to return for the next school year, but this case will take precedent until it is over." L finished his atypically formal speech and readied himself to leave. The students all left the room, buzzing about the news, as L poked around his desk, looking for things he might need on his trip, but knowing that he had mostly packed everything. When L turned around, the room was apparently empty of people. He looked toward the door, which he saw was closed. Standing in front of the door was the room's last occupant, Near, with her angry, jet-black eyes fixed on him.

"Take me with you." No opening remarks, no rationalization, no nothing. Just the flat-out demand. L countered similarly.

"No."

"Why." With a hair-twirl that would have seemed flippant to any outside observer, Near upped the conversational ante. The question wasn't really said in an interrogative manner; it was, again, a demand.

"You're not helping me. You're not good enough. Not yet. There is no purpose you could serve in my investigation. I need people my level – and I've yet to ever find one. I also need people who are more or less pawns for me to move around, of an intelligence and position low enough to take orders from me as if I were some sort of investigative god. _You_ are not so intellectually degraded as to do that. Professional police officers under my command will take 'command' seriously enough to fall into that category. You, in short, are useless to me."

"I'm not. I know what you think of my work."

"Yes! It's good for some twelve-year-old girl. You have to learn more before you could ever take on Kira. First of all, I'm going to Japan – say something in Japanese."

"I don't speak Japanese."

"Ah! Don't you. Well then. A great use you'll be then, when investigating the Japanese. Good day, Near. Keep up your good work, and maybe someday you'll be my equal. Hell, you might rival or best me; it's hard to tell, because you're far too young. I wish you success in your studies, because that is your level now – studying." L left Near in an angry shock.

After a few seconds, she left and slammed the door with a motion that looked nonchalant until the door's sound was heard.

What the hell? She couldn't work with L because she was too smart? But of course, not as smart as he was. Damn him and his goddamn ego! He only needed himself and pawns! See how far that gets you, L! You yourself know this is an extraordinary case; it should need extraordinary measures. After a while, Near glanced up from the floor, at which she had been adamantly staring, to see a figure clad entirely in black.

"Oh, Mello, hey."

"Well, Near, what was that about? Trying to leave the rest of us behind? I didn't hear you vouch for me – or anyone else, for that matter. You'll just appeal to L for yourself? Instead of asking him to consider us in general, you selfishly put yourself on the line, and cut off any chance anyone else might have!"

"Great, you heard. You know what I was trying to do. Don't take it personally, L sure as hell doesn't." She walked back to her room, and Mello stormed towards his.

(A/N: Of course, reviews are always appreciated… in the next chapter, we see a lot of Matt, I know that might be a draw, since he has a huge fanbase for some odd reason…)


	4. Truth or Dare: Truth

**Truth or Dare: Truth**

**(AN: There is drinking and swearing in this chapter. This chapter is the reason for the rating. Please be advised. That said, enjoy!)**

The next day, a Friday, Near went back to her room to build a puzzle after her last class. It was relaxing enough, she enjoyed sifting through and organizing her mental energy by working logically and manually at the same time. Sometimes, working on a puzzle would increase tension and mental progress, but today she aimed for a relaxing tone. She couldn't dwell on L's treachery against her. She was the best in the investigation class! She knew it! So did L! But this calm, Friday afternoon was not a time for that. Not when a break was coming up, and homework was light. Tomorrow she would drown her anger in work, but tonight was a time to calm down, to block out the fire in her mind. Alone.

And she was alone, for a little bit. Until Matt came by her room. That was a weird choice for him – Near had only ever spoken to Matt a few times, and had been curt enough to hopefully get the message across that she hadn't wanted to make a habit of talking to him. But he came by, speaking in the clipped tones of someone who is focusing on something else (the gameboy, or whatever the hell it was, in his hands).

"Near. Have a message from Mello. No hard feelings about yesterday, and stop by our room at 8 tonight. He has a sort of party planned, all three of us. He's getting ready for it now, that's why he's not here himself. See you then, I guess." Near nodded, with a slightly incredulous look. Matt left, staring intently at the gaming device in his hands instead of looking where he was going. Near smirked at the thought that he might end up knocking his brains out walking into a wall.

So, _Mello_ has a plan for once. That's interesting. Usually it was the girls who planned social gatherings – Near had been to a few of them. They were not tremendously fun, but not painful either. Near had always been friendlier with the older group than her own group, and thus had a harsher, relatively curse-laden way of speaking that alienated many of the girls in the younger group. Near was interested to see what Mello would come up with – he could be a loose cannon sometimes, and considering that he was probably still angry with her about yesterday's situation with L… Well. The "no hard feelings" was probably a lie. There was, in fact, around a 90 chance that it was. Mello could hold a mean grudge. But, with the non-aggressive Matt around, Mello would not try to physically harm Near – he would only pull things that would not necessarily get him caught, and even Matt would try and stop Mello from doing something like that, and might call in the teachers, or Roger.

Near reached a stopping point in the puzzle at two minutes to 8:00 PM, which was perfect. She quickly ducked out of her room and walked down the hall to Mello's room, where Matt and Mello were excitedly talking.

"So you really got it, then?"

"Did you doubt me? Of course I did. Wasn't too hard."

Mello was flaunting a bottle of vodka, and three shot glasses were on the ground in front of him. Near walked in with a quizzical look.

"Remember how we used to play Truth or Dare when we were younger, but got bored of it because it's a mindnumbingly boring game? Well, I've come up with a way to raise the stakes. You can't answer the question, or do the dare, you take a shot. You in, Near?" Mello's look was as expressive as a sixteenth-century slap of a glove across the face – he was challenging Near, with the very spirit of competition.

Without a word, she sat down and put one of the glasses in front of her. It was not going to be harmful to drink if she was careful and logical, as always. She was determined to take at least one shot before the night was out, curious as ever to find out why Mello was so inspired, and what vodka tasted like. This was an interesting strategy on Mello's part, if he wanted to get back at her. This could be fun (Near grinned inwardly at the idea of a drunk Mello). This was hardly revenge – yet.

"How'd you pull this one?" She started in, twirling a lock of hair.

"Can't reveal my sources. You weren't going to tell me about your conversation with L, were you? So I won't tell you who's treating _me _like an adult."

"Fine," she said neutrally, and narrowed her eyes.

"Here are the rules: We go counterclockwise, taking turns. We each pick the question, or dare, and make the other two answer, or do it. Sound agreeable?"

Near and Matt both nodded, eager to show the firecracker in their bizarre "social group" that they were as up for a good fight as he was.

Over the next few hours, they toyed around, and most of the questions and dares were as silly as the questions from back when they were younger and playing with a larger social circle. Everything seemed edgier, though, since the alcohol was there. However, these were intelligent kids, so they weren't drinking too much – by two and a half hours in, Matt and Near had only taken one shot each. Mello had taken two, but was eating chocolate nearly constantly, so wasn't actually as tipsy as his friends (which could also have had to do with his more advanced age, and experience with alcohol).

With a barely perceptible slur, which was probably just excitement, Mello unraveled his Truth question to end all Truth questions. He had the giddy air of a circus entertainer unveiling his most exotic act.

"What is your real name? Double or nothing – one shot for either first _or _last name not revealed." He shot a glance at Near, but Matt was the first to respond.

"Mail. I'll take one shot, no way I'm telling you my last name!" The gamer downed the shot.

"For now, that's fine. Near?" Mello locked in his gaze, which became an imperious stare. "I want to know your name."

Near filled the shot glass, and downed it.

"No last name," she rasped, trying to ignore the awful taste.

She considered telling Mello her first name – what could he do with her first name? Surely he couldn't identify her with that. But with the Kira case going on, was it wise to have her name floating about? And why was it taking her so long to _think_?

"N…"

"Well, I'm waiting."

Near looked back at her glass, and Mello's temper, fueled by the vodka, flared wild – "No! Don't even think about flaking on this question! I want to know, you selfish bitch! If you would slink away, I want to keep you here! I want to make sure that I have something on you! Now say your name!"

Near was getting a little nervous, and considered the "double or nothing" rule that Mello had proposed for this question. She was already having trouble thinking, so another shot might not be possible. She refilled the glass, and Mello knocked the bottle out of her hand, but too late. She set the glass down on the floor, unsure of what to do.

"N…Na-…" Near stammered, and Mello's eyes widened in triumph.

"No!" She cried out, louder than she would have sober. She downed the shot and then stood shakily and walked to the door.

"Good night. Matt, you've been pleasant as always," she said with a heavy dose of irony. "You, Mello, can go to hell."

_Well, that was liberating. I don't normally explode at people like that. Maybe being drunk isn't so bad…_

Near dismissed that thought almost immediately, as a wave of nausea hit her, nearly doubling her over. She sat down, leaning against the wall outside Mello's room, trying to steady herself for rise to a standing position, and the subsequent walk back to her room. In the meantime, she overheard a very angry Mello, and a definitely sloshed but calmer Matt.

"Man, calm down, calm down! She's just slightly loopy because of the drinking, man, you know we haven't ever drunk before!"

"Fuck her! Fuck everything! She doesn't care about anyone! Just a logical, cold, heartless bitch. I always knew it. People, emotions, everything, just part of her fucking puzzle." Mello turned to face away from Matt, trying to hide the angry, drunken tears coursing down his face.

"Come on man, let's get back to the game. We don't need her. Besides, I'm curious to know your name now."

Near perked up outside the room, almost happy despite her physical instability and the verbal insults being thrown at her in her absence. She would have something on him, instead of him having something on her, if he conceded to Matt's challenge.

"Matt, you know what, I'm not afraid of you knowing my name. I know some of yours – you can know all of mine. Mihael Keehl. You know that this stays between us, of course."

"Yea, of course. You know it!"

After getting to her feet, Near made it back to her room, trying to stave off the effects of the three shots and thinking angrily all the while. _No way I'd ever tell that jackass my name! What is he playing at! Why would he do this to me? We're friends, I thought! Is he really that upset at the idea that I would go work with L without him? God, it's not like it even happened!_

She arrived back at her room and stumbled to her bed, removing her contacts shakily, trying not to poke herself in the eye with unsteady hands. She was almost too scared to sleep; she knew to wait until the drinks wore off, so there was no chance of her vomiting in her sleep and dying – _that _would be some way to show L she was smart enough to work for him... It took until 5:00 AM for Near to finally relax into some sort of sleep, all the while thinking of why on earth that stupid wretch was so upset at her. For wanting to leave? Didn't _he_ want to leave? And it's not like they were so touchy feely as to have to do everything together. Please. Most facets of this place were dog eat dog. The investigative class was more so than most. The older group, rumor had it, had completely failed to produce someone in whom L would place his trust. They were all going off to college within the next few years, and of everyone skilled enough to jump directly into the workplace, not a single one had been picked up by L and Watari. Mello had to know that there was a competition between them for this impossible honor, right? Mello and Near would have to oppose each other at some point. But surely being opponents did not necessitate being enemies?


End file.
